Computer systems are well known in the art and have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Computer systems such as personal computers (PCs) and servers may typically include a system unit having a central processing unit (CPU) and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM) and basic input/output system read only memory (BIOS ROM), a system monitor, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, a fixed disk storage drive (also known as a “hard drive”), user input devices, and a network interface adapter. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. Computer systems typically include software such as computer programs in addition to the hardware. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture continue to push the performance of computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems that continue to increase in complexity and power.
Computer systems have thus evolved into extremely sophisticated devices that may be found in many different settings. Many organizations utilize server computer systems for more complicated tasks such as providing e-commerce websites, providing complex multi-user applications, maintaining large databases, or performing other resource-intensive tasks. Organizations with significant computing needs often have many servers performing a wide variety of tasks with the servers communicating with each other via a network such as a local area network (LAN). In these systems, individual users may interact with the servers to access various system resources, such as applications, databases, or other resources, so that the system resources may be shared by multiple users.
Networks typically operate under a protocol such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to enable communication between computer systems with configured addresses. Part of the burden an administrator must face in administering such a network is address assignment for machines on the network. The dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) gives network administrators a method to facilitate automatic distribution of addresses and to maintain the network configuration in a central location. DHCP is an application-layer protocol that allows a client machine on a network to exchange packets between a software daemon on the client with another on a DHCP server to get a network address (in the case of DHCP, an IP address). The DHCP server typically leases the IP address to clients for an infinite timeframe such that the assigned IP address remains the same. In a typical system, if the network is reconfigured, the client may disconnect and reconnect back in to receive a new IP address. Such a disconnect, however, results in an interruption of service to the client and may thus be undesirable in many situations.
One application that utilizes a network and for which high reliability is desirable is high-end servers, such as International Business Machine's (IBM's) IBM iSeries and pSeries eServers which may utilize a Hardware Management Console (HMC) acting as a DHCP server and may include components connected via an Ethernet network connection such as bulk power controllers (BPCs) and flexible service processors (FSPs). In certain scenarios, the IP address of the DHCP server changes and the entire system needs to be powered off and rebooted in response so that the DHCP server and clients are properly configured. The power off of the system brings down the reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) of the system and may result in additional problems, as re-establishing communications can be more complicated and prone to fault paths. The scenarios that can result in powering off of the system include replacement of the HMC, changing the IP address of the DHCP server, or adding a second redundant HMC to the network. There is, therefore, a need for an effective system for facilitating proper configuration of a DHCP server and/or client without requiring powering off of the entire system.